One of my clients uses his airplane for business travel. He earned his private pilot certificate a few years ago in a Cessna 172 then bought a single-engine Piper piston.
When he lands at an airport with a flight school, he seeks out the chance to fly a new-to-him model of aircraft for the experience. It’s his way of keeping his learning skills sharp. This activity has put him in a variety of Cessna singles such as the Skycatcher and a C-152, along with Cirruses, Diamonds, and a smattering of light sport designs.
He admitted the new airplane flights are awkward at first, as he feels like he was cheating on his airplane when he goes out for “aviation strange.” However, the opportunity to learn a new panel, procedures, and power settings for a new-to-him aircraft was, in his words, “rejuvenating,” because he likes to learn. He noted that the older you get, the less opportunities you have to learn something new for the first time.
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More than once he’s had the aviation version of a “who’s-on-first?” talk with someone at an FBO or flight school when he comes in asking to do a checkout flight in a new-to-him airplane. They are used to people seeking a pilot certificate or rental privileges and as such will try to upsell you.
When he shared this with me, I related to it. I encountered this when I went to a local flight school to regain my multiengine currency when the family twin was down for annual inspection. I have an MEI certificate and told them so, yet they seemed perplexed when I didn’t want to put down $2,500 for the “training package.”
Keep Current; Keep Learning
If you don’t enjoy learning and studying, aviation is not for you. As long as you possess your certificate and want the privilege of flying, you will need to keep learning and studying.
Every 24 calendar months, pilots are required to do a flight review to maintain their flying privileges. There are activities you can do in lieu of the traditional one hour of ground and one of flight, as outlined in cFAR 61.56, such as adding another certificate or rating.
But the point remains clear: Our greatest responsibility as aviators is to maintain our knowledge and proficiency. The review is a way to verify that we still have both the knowledge and physical skills to exercise the privileges of the certificate we carry.
If focusing on your skills once every two years seems ineffective to you, you’re not the only one who thinks that way. Performing once every two years doesn’t promote airmanship. Rather, it’s like cramming for a test. Far too often pilots panic study the week before they are scheduled for the flight review then promptly forget a good portion of what they have relearned. You may find it much easier—and better in the long run—to work studying into your day-to-day life.
Aviation advocacy groups—in particular the National Association of Flight Instructors (NAFI) and Society of Aviation Flight Educators (SAFE)—often discuss ways to get more pilots to adopt a continuous study program.
Some thoughts.
Carve out a few minutes a day to learn or review material. This doesn’t have to be a big production, and all pilots can benefit.
One of my learners is the king of this. He has the aircraft procedures checklist on his smartphone, and when he’s on a break from his job as a truck driver, he pulls it and studies for a few minutes. A CFI of my acquaintance reads a section from a paper copy of an ASA oral exam guide every night as part of the get away from the screen for one hour before bed winddown.
Create a Plan You Can Follow
Do you have a personal proficiency plan? If you make it fun, you’re more likely to stick with it. This is why the fly out for lunch and breakfast flights are so popular. Many flying clubs do these every weekend.
If you are flying with another appropriately rated pilot who can act as safety pilot, put yourself under the hood and practice tracking a course. A few minutes here and there adds up to proficiency.